Leg-End Legend

Will Smith racing in a sports car with his dog, on the deserted New York streets. No he is not flashing it for the girls to notice; neither is he part of any street racing gang.

He is out there with his sniper rifle, not following any terrorist to hunt him down but trying to a catch a deer or two (it can be a reindeer also, can’t say for sure). If you were wondering what the future will be like, then ‘I am Legend’ is certainly not the place to look out for.

The movie begins with a news bulletin predicting weather like every other year, and telling something about a new drug to cure cancer, with 100% results so far and for a moment you wonders if you have tuned onto CNBC or apna own NDTV. But before you realize what was that all about, you have Smith on the roads.

I am legend is the story of not very distant future, about our hero Will Smith playing Robert Neville the last man on earth (this is atleast what he believes). Our hero is the sole survivor of the world where 90% of the population has been wiped out by a virus originated from the miraculous cancer cure. Out of the remaining 10% population majority turned into cannibalistic beings who hunted the remaining survivors to feed on them. In the year 2012 Neville, who is somehow naturally immune to the virus, has been daily sending out radio signals for the last three years to search for any other survivors (somebody please tell who is still operating these radio channels?)

Neville, who was a military scientist, is desperate to find out a cure for the virus, so that he can turn the mutants (with vampire kind of symptoms, like they are burned by the sun and have super strong bones) back into normal humans. Whole day he keeps on roaming on the streets with nothing to do. Plays golf on an aircraft carrier, tries to hunt down deer (without any luck), talks to mannequins he has placed in video library.

At night he locks himself up in his house and goes to sleep in a tub, but wakes up in his bed. Oh by the way he also catches the mutants to try his vaccines on them.

The movie is a bit slow, as there is nothing to show in it. But it has few good moments to cherish about. Also showing the flashback in the cult ‘Lost’ way, has been spectacularly used. All alone with just a dog as his co-star, Smith has been brilliant, although the ageing signs can be seen on his face. But doesn’t old wine always better to taste?